Drill for 60mm holes through deck ?

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Boo2

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Hi,

I need to make two 60mm holes through my deck to fit a windlass and I wondered if I will need a special drill for that or will my el cheapo B&Q battery powered job suffice ? If I need to hire one can anyone tell me what spec I need in terms of power, soft start or whatever ? Alternatively B&Q currently have Makita combi drill drivers on at £129 / £99 and I could consider getting either of those if it would be man enough - I've outrun the use of the cheapo on several occassions anyway.

Thanks,

Boo2
 
We used a hole cutter (sort of saw bent round in a circle) to cut a hole in the deck for a holding tank outlet. We used an ordinary mains electric hand drill. I doubt the el-cheapo cordless would do the job but a heavy duty professional one probably would.

As an aside - we found the 'ring main' for shore power was hidden between the deck and liner just where we weer cutting. Fairly large flash as the cutter went thru it!
 
I recall Aldi currently selling packs of assorted 'hole cutters' to fit your chosen power drill. These are certainly good enough for the job and much cheaper than many other trade sources.
 
For just two holes in GRP, on the assumption that everything will be hidden once the windlass is installed, I would drill a few small holes then get the files out.

Of course, if I wanted to use the job as an excuse for capital expenditure to put before SWMBO......
 
Your B&Q drill should be OK with a hole saw. Just don't use too much pressure on it when drilling, let the drill cut with not much more than its own weight. Might be an idea to have a spare battery or be prepared to wait for a recharge between holes!
And make sure you have a clear cut. No cables etc in the way!
 
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My el cheapo Wickes 18v drill took several charges to cut a single hole large enough for a heater air inlet with a hole saw. I suppose it depends how thick your fibreglass is, but I cursed my decision to go for a rechargeable rather than a direct mains powered drill! Then again, it's not used regularly so the battery may have lost some of its oomph. If yours is new it may perform better.
 
Even my Makita cordless (admittedly, only the 12v one) sometimes struggles to swing a big holesaw. Though 60mm shouldn't be too bad. If you have mains available, it might be worth picking up a £10 mains drill (yep, I've seen 'em for that in B&Q) while you're buying the holesaw. I have one, an emergency purchase last year, and it's surprisingly effective.

Pete
 
Buy a proper hole saw - not one of those flimsy DIY types. You can get them from Screwfix among others. Check that your drill takes the arbor.
 
Definitey a hole saw.
Should not need any thing spectacular in the way of a drill provided it will run slowly...... I'd not hesitate to do it by hand if I did not have a cordless drill or power for a mains one.
 
Hole saw may chip the gel coat around the edges and make a mess breaking through? Can you work from both sides?
I would use lots of small holes and a flap wheel or similar to tidy up, rather than buying a 60mm thing I'll never use again..
 
Beware the 'adjustable' hole cutters with the central arbor and one, or two, adjustable 'arms'. I bought one (not cheap) to cut a 100mm dia hole in a 10mm thick cabin floor. I used a big mains drill, and moved carefully, but the cutting edge was destroyed (having produced sparks) before I was half way through. I had to resort to drilling small holes around the trench I had made, and then tidying up. Hardys do seem to be made of tough stuff, though...
 
lw395 said:
Hole saw may chip the gel coat around the edges and make a mess breaking through? Can you work from both sides?
Click to expand...

Hole saws usually have a pilot drill. You could wait till that gets through then start from the other side. For that matter you could drill a small pilot hole right through before then using the holesaw from both sides.
 
The Titan holesaws I have used don't seem to chip the gel coat if you start off slowly. The hole edges should be sealed with epoxy anyway as there will be a chain running through them.
 
lw395 said:
Hole saw may chip the gel coat around the edges and make a mess breaking through? Can you work from both sides?
I would use lots of small holes and a flap wheel or similar to tidy up, rather than buying a 60mm thing I'll never use again..
Click to expand...

A hole saw worked just fine for the hole for my deck pump out which was 60mm. Cordless Makita drill.
 
Boo2 said:
Hi,

I need to make two 60mm holes through my deck to fit a windlass and I wondered if I will need a special drill for that or will my el cheapo B&Q battery powered job suffice ? If I need to hire one can anyone tell me what spec I need in terms of power, soft start or whatever ? Alternatively B&Q currently have Makita combi drill drivers on at £129 / £99 and I could consider getting either of those if it would be man enough - I've outrun the use of the cheapo on several occassions anyway.

Thanks,

Boo2
Click to expand...
oldbilbo said:
I recall Aldi currently selling packs of assorted 'hole cutters' to fit your chosen power drill. These are certainly good enough for the job and much cheaper than many other trade sources.
Click to expand...
Try http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Down+Light+Holesaw+Kit/p90948 - there is a 60mm hole saw in it. - Just bought one for a little job I am in the middle off and can't complain about the quality for the money. Only down side is they are limited to about 1" thick material (7/8" in reality) but manage 22mm chipboard flooring with ease. I also cut a 86mm hole through a fibreglass tank (¼" thk) and hardly even took the paint off the cutter - teeth still like razors. - Oh, nearly forgot - all this with a 12v dewalt with knackered batteries.... For the sake of a 10 spot invest in a set of cutters. FWIW teh Aldi carbide hole cutters run eccentric so the hole size is approximate - very approximate.
 
Scillyboy said:
Beware the 'adjustable' hole cutters with the central arbor and one, or two, adjustable 'arms'. I bought one (not cheap) to cut a 100mm dia hole in a 10mm thick cabin floor. I used a big mains drill, and moved carefully, but the cutting edge was destroyed (having produced sparks) before I was half way through. I had to resort to drilling small holes around the trench I had made, and then tidying up. Hardys do seem to be made of tough stuff, though...
Click to expand...
+1
Buy a tank cutter..... not expensive, and will do a neater job in the end
 
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